Saleh Fareed JEDDAH — Al-Hilal will face FC Bayern Munich, champion of Europe and the German Bundesliga, in a friendly at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh on Jan. 17. The friendly match between the two esteemed teams is being realized following Bayern Munich's desire to face Al-Hilal, which is considered one of the strongest and most prestigious teams in the region. This enables both teams to exchange their expertise and identify the strategies of gameplay, in addition to fulfilling the fans' desire to see their football heroes in action. Al-Hilal is already preparing for the friendly that happens to be the most exciting fixture for the team this month. This match is coming within Al-Hilal's preparation for the second round of the Saudi Football League. Volkswagen Saudi Arabia is sponsoring the match to bring a new exciting experience to the country, which will ignite the cheering spirit of the fans and will contribute in enhancing the joyous football spirit in Saudi Arabia. This initiative by Volkswagen Saudi Arabia shows its continuous support toward sports activities, as a part of several planned future sports activities. Prince Abdur Rahman Bin Musaad, chairman of Al-Hilal, expressing delight said: “This will bring the team together as it faces the prestigious German club with a huge reputation and history.” He said that Volkswagen Saudi Arabia, the official sponsor of Al-Hilal Club, has helped arrange the match which will transform the experience in the Kingdom. Eng. Omar Al-Madi, CEO of Volkswagen Group Saudi Arabia, stated: “We have brought this match between Al-Hilal and Bayern Munich as a great surprise to the Saudi sports fans, to thank them for their continuous support to their team that is considered to be the main factor to its success and accomplishment. “Our policy in Volkswagen Group Saudi Arabia is to contribute in extending the sports culture through friendly games like this match that brings Europe's and Asia's football leaders together.” The head coach at Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola, stated: “We are excited to play against the strongest club of Saudi Arabia in front of thousands of its enthusiastic fans.” The participation in this match comes as an initiative from Audi, as Audi always aims to find new opportunities for the team by coordinating with other teams around the world. FC Bayern Munich, Germany's most successful club recently conquered its 23rd Bundesliga title. Under the direction of Spanish great Guardiola, Bayern Munich counts with a number of talented players such as Franck Ribéry (France), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Mario Mand?ukiæ (Croatia) as well as the base of the German national team with players Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller.
